1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driving apparatus and, more particularly, to a focusing lens driving apparatus, which uses a bar-shaped vibration driven motor as a driving source, and can almost continuously execute an auto-focusing operation and a manual focusing operation without requiring any special switching operation.
2. Description of the Related Background Art
Conventionally, in a known auto-focusing camera, which can selectively perform an auto-focusing operation and a manual focusing operation, when a camera user performs switching from an auto-focusing operation to a manual focusing operation or vice versa, he or she must operate a switching operation member arranged on the outer surface of the camera.
For example, when using a conventional camera, if the camera user operator initially selects an auto-focusing operation in a photographing operation, follows the movement of an object, and then subsequently performs a manual focusing operation with the auto-focusing operation, he or she must operate a switching operation member, and then, pivot a manual operation member arranged on a lens barrel portion of the camera. Thus, the start timing of the manual focusing operation is delayed, and the user may consequently lose a photo opportunity.
Thus, a lens barrel which can perform a motorized auto-focusing operation and a manual focusing operation without requiring any special switching operation was proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,781.
However, since an ultrasonic wave vibration driven motor (to be referred to as a vibration driven motor hereinafter) used in this prior art has a hollow ring shape, it is expensive and has poor versatility due to its hollow shape.